


Call My Name and I'll Light Up The Sky

by MagicaLyss



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapped Peter Parker, Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Has Anxiety, Peter Parker Has Issues, Peter Parker Has Nightmares, Peter Parker Has Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Has a Family, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker has PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-27 22:52:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17775737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicaLyss/pseuds/MagicaLyss
Summary: "Peter sees Bucky and freaks out thinking that Hydra is there and Bucky is there to kidnap him""Peter was apart of Hydra and the team doesn't know and they find out accidentally on a mission to take down a Hydra base."





	Call My Name and I'll Light Up The Sky

_It's cold. The walls, floor and ceiling are all entirely cement. The far wall is made of metal bars, leading out to a hallway that looks exactly the same. The five-year-old boy is curled up in the far corner of the cell. His wrists are handcuffed to the wall, but enough chain to let him walk around the cell. There's a bucket in the other corner that's used in replacement of a toilet and a single pillow tucked behind the child's back. The only colour that touches the room is the blood splattered on the floor._

_The boy curls up tighter to try to fend off the biting cold. He knows it's purposeful. It could be warm in here but as part of the torture, the people have decided to blast the AC in the hallway._

_Every day is the same._

_Someone comes by, banging on the metal with a stick, yelling for him to wake up. Breakfast of some oatmeal type thing. Flavourless. Colourless. Small metal bowl. No utensils. Men drag him off to another room down the hallway. Ties him up. Normally heavy-duty chains. Neck, wrists, ankles, hips. Sometimes gagged. Sometimes they like to hear him scream. Experiments. Torture. Pain. Training. Obedience. Passing out from the pain. Anesthesia only if he's been good, which is rare. Punishment if he's bad. Rules to follow. Back to the cell. Restless night. And it repeats. Over and over and over and over and over..._

*

**_Tony Stark:_**  Hey kid. I know you've got school but we need you for this. Happy can pick you up

**_Peter Parker:_**  Is it a mission?

**_Tony Stark:_**  You got it kid. You got your suit?

**_Peter Parker:_**  Yeah it's in my bag. What do I tell my teachers?

**_Tony Stark:_**  Family Emergency. You don't need to act, just look worried

**_Tony Stark:_** If there are questions say it's a distant cousin who got in a car accident and your aunt needs you

**_Tony Stark:_**  Happy's out front

**_Peter Parker:_** Be there in 5.

"I've gotta go," Peter blurts. Everyone's eyes turn to him.

"What was that Mister Parker?" the teacher asks with a kind smile.

"My aunt just texted me. There's a family emergency and I have to go," Peter explains, throwing on a worried expression and pretending to check his phone again.

"Okay. Just let the office know you're leaving before you go," the teacher replies, understanding the direness of the situation.

Peter starts stuffing his things in his bag when Ned leans over, eyes big with excitement.

"Is this an internship retreat?" Ned whispers.

"Mister Stark just texted asking if I've got the suit and that they need my help. If I'm not at school tomorrow, would you cover for me?" Peter asks frantically. He doesn't want to keep Happy and Tony waiting for any longer than he has to.

"Okay. Just don't die," Ned says. As much as Ned thinks it's the coolest thing in the world to have a superhero best friend, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't constantly worry about Peter's wellbeing.

"I won't. I'll be fine," Peter says confidently, throwing one last smile at his friend before ducking out of class. 

*

Happy's driving and Tony is silent in the backseat, eyes carefully scanning the horizon.

Peter's hands are shaking. He's not sure if it's from nerves, fear, or adrenaline, but he clenches his mask in his fists to hide the trembling. He doesn't want them to think of him as weak for being scared about a mission.

After the nightmare from the night before, he's been left on edge all day. He doesn't get nightmares a lot anymore. It took him two years just to get back to normal and another year after that to stop having nightmares.

When he was four, his parents died in that plane crash, and he was taken by Hydra. Hydra always had a feud with the Parker's so they took the opportunity once his parents were gone.

Peter was with Hydra for five years. They turned him into Spinne, their Spider Soldier. He worked with them for two out of the five years. He hated hurting people. He was even asked to kill some, but he always preferred to take the punishment than to kill innocent people. Luckily, nobody except for May, Ben, and his therapist ever found out about what happened in that place. And even then, he never told them everything.

Sometimes he still gets nightmares after particularly bad patrols or if he's been anxious or if he gets triggered by something. Panic attacks aren't so out of blue, but they've been better since he officially became Spider-Man. It was hard for him to use his powers after only using them for evil, but one day he heard a woman screaming and he couldn't let it go.

Tony doesn't know. Tony can't know. It was something Peter had decided from the day he had met the billionaire. He wouldn't tell Tony about what had happened with Hydra. After how poorly Tony had reacted to Bucky, he couldn't handle telling Tony that he was the same.

They finally pull up across the street from what appears to be a factory. It's grey and cement and puffs smoke from the pipes at the top. It doesn't sit well in Peter's stomach, but he pushes it away to focus on the mission.

"Nat, Steve, Sam, and Clint are all in that black van up there," Tony starts. The black van looks like it belongs in the scenery compared to Tony's sleek silver Mercedes.

"What's the mission?" Peter asks, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

The breath is punched out of the teenager's lungs when he hears the response.

"Hydra base."

"What?" Peter chokes, doe eyes widening and jaw clenching. "What? Why do you need me for this?"

"If you don't want to, I understand. I can have Happy drive you home, but I thought you wanted a mission. You wanted to be an Avenger with the rest of us?"

Peter forces himself to swallow the panic that threatens to overwhelm him, taking a deep breath through his nose.

"It's fine, yeah. I can do this. I can do this," Peter mumbles, more to himself than anything. Tony claps him on the shoulder, picking up the briefcase at their feet and motioning to the glass separating them from Happy.

"Could you drive a few blocks out and wait? This shouldn't take too long," Tony says once the glass is down.

Happy nods, pushing the sunglasses up his nose. "You good, kid? You're looking pale."

"I'm fine," Peter says. If he says no, they might question it. If he backs out, they might think he's some cowardly child. If he doesn't do this, no one will ever take him seriously. 

The group decides to split up. Tony hates the idea of leaving Peter, but he's pairing up with Clint. Steve and Nat are going together, leaving Peter with Sam.

The first pair is going up, the second team staying on the main floor and trying to attract as much attention as they can, and the third team going down to the lower floors.

Peter sticks close to Sam, trying in desperation to keep his mind at ease as they head down the metal stairs towards where there are men's voices.

He knows he has to keep his cool while he's here no matter how fast his heart races or how hard it's getting to breathe or how much he wants to run as far as he can from this place. He needs to fight. He can't leave Sam. He can do this. 

"We're going to hide here until Steve and Nat give the signals," Sam instructs quietly, nodding his head towards an open door. 

The room is big. There's a big wooden desk against the far wall with a rickety chair, papers strewn across the surface. There's a big circle drawn in black paint in the center of the room, a pair of handcuffs in the center of the circle. He remembers a room like this when he was in the Hydra facility. It was mainly for teaching because they didn't want Peter to end up being stupid. He had only done kindergarten before he was taken.

Peter's lungs heave for air as he freezes inside the doorway, eyes focused on the handcuffs. It's been a long time since he's seen a room like this one. Maybe this hadn't been a good idea.

Sam grabs his arm and pulls him into the room, eyes wide with worry behind his goggles.

"You good, kid?" His voice is hushed and Peter's quick to focus all his attention on Sam.

He nods quickly. He's not going to let his mind win. Not now. He can do this. He just has to push down his panic until tonight.

They crouch down against the wall, keeping their breathing shallow as to not attract any attention. Waiting impatiently for the others to make the signal. Steve and Natasha are trying to bring all the Hydra Agents up to the main level before Sam and Peter do their sweep of the lower levels to catch any stragglers, get any hostages to safety, and collect all the information they can. Steve and Natasha can hold their own against the others.

Finally, over the intercoms, "I think you're clear. We've got the count up here."

"Be careful," Sam's quick to reply, before nodding at Peter. "You ready?"

Peter nods again, not trusting himself to speak just yet. He follows behind Sam as they move through the rooms, not coming across anyone. Occasionally, Sam will take a picture of something they see or steal things off desks, but otherwise, it's oddly empty.

The teenager believes he can make it through this without a problem as they sweep through the next level of rooms. As long as he focuses on what he's doing and on Sam's quiet instructions instead of the bubbling panic in the back of his mind.

Until, of course, they come across the last room he'd ever expected to see.

His cell.

He's not sure if it's really his or just a replicate, but either way, it breaks his concentration.

He freezes in the doorway, suddenly unable to draw any breaths into his constricted lungs. His eyes are welling with tears and he can't hear Sam's voice anymore.

_A four-year-old boy, confused and uncertain about what's happening. He doesn't know where he is or why or who he's supposed to trust. He's in the torture chamber. He's on the floor, on his knees, collar strapped tightly around his throat, wrists in handcuffs but not attached to the wall like they will be in the weeks to come. He's still regular Peter Parker, no spider powers to help him escape. A man paces the space in front of him, smirking down at Peter like they're predator and prey._

_A sick smile touches the man's face. "You must be confused and scared. You're rightly so. You should be scared. This won't feel too pleasant."_

_"What won't?" Little Peter asks, eyes full of wondrous innocence._

_"What is to come. Now, we have rules here. Your mom and dad had rules, right?" Peter nods, letting the man continue. "Good. We have rules too. You are not to look anyone in the eyes. You are not to talk unless spoken to. You are not to talk back about anything. You are not allowed to question us. You are not allowed to ask for anything. You are not allowed to complain. Is this clear?"_

_The child looks confused, fear beginning to set in because this isn't right. This can't be right. But he's too scared to tell them that he doesn't understand, he nods instead._

_"Good boy. Now, you are only to address us as sir or Master. And you must understand that you are not above us. You are under all of us and must do as we say. First order of business, time for you to learn what happens to bad boys."_

_*_

_A five-year-old boy curls up in the corner of his cell, crying as quietly as he can into his elbows. He doesn't know what to do. His stomach is aching with pain from never eating enough anymore and whatever was in that drug they pumped into his system earlier has left him sicker than ever. He ended up throwing up the oatmeal he had eaten for breakfast. Lunch is never offered, and Breakfast and Dinner is only the small bowl of oatmeal. It's not enough. Never has been, never will be enough._

_His stomach grumbles loudly and he cries out in pain, biting hard on his lip as he strains to hear any sign of footsteps coming to tell him off. He tucks his knees tight against his stomach, curling as small as he can into the corner of his cell to try to keep quiet. He doesn't want to be punished again for making noise. He doesn't think he could handle the pain._

_He misses his mom. He knows it's stupid because not only is he never going to be getting out of here, his mom is dead. There's nothing he can do except let go and move on, but he can't. The only memories he's got from outside this place, are his parents. He can't let that go or else he'll have nothing but the four concrete walls to offer him comfort._

_*_

_A six-year-old boy pulls at his chains in desperation to get away from the people. There's eight of them. All of them laughing. Most of them asking for a turn. Some of them fighting to get to the front. One of them taking pictures on an old Polaroid camera. He's being whipped again. They seem to enjoy this specific form of torture. Sometimes it's electrocution. Sometimes it's a good old fashion beating. Sometimes it's waterboarding. Sometimes it's cutting him open. But most of the time it's whipping. It's the most degrading of the torture methods and it leaves him bloody and torn. And the scars are permanent._

_The group of people push closer when the man takes a moment to switch to a belt instead of the whip he was using before._

_He whimpers and tries to crawl away, but the chains hold him in place. Around his wrists, his ankles, his neck, his waist._

_The belt cuts into the skin on his back and he screams in pain as old wounds are reopened and new ones are created._

_Everyone whoops and hollers at that like they're a crowd at a concert, not people watching a child get tortured._

*

_A seven-year-old boy strung up like meat. Chains around his wrists leaving him danging from the ceiling, toes barely able to touch the floor, leash from his collar trailing from his neck to the ceiling next to the one from his wrists. He's sure his wrists have been dislocated, maybe his shoulders too. The whip marks down his back are aching worse than normal from the awkward position._

_The man stalks around his small, trembling body. His face is set in a cruel smirk as he glares down the child. "Have you learned your lesson?"_

_"Yes!" Peter squeaks in desperation. Anything to get him down from the position._

_He had messed up during training. He had asked to stop after training for hours straight. They're trying to turn him into a super soldier with spider powers. Turns out, a child is incapable of working out for six hours straight without any food in his stomach or water in his system. He had been close to passing out and he was dry heaving on the floor during one of his two-minute breaks he gets every hour. He asked if he could stop. It was a terrible mistake._

_"Obviously not if you don't even remember basic manners!" The man snarls angrily, slapping the child across the face._

_Tears are rolling down Peter's sunken, pale cheeks and he's shaking, chains rattling overhead._

_"I'm so sorry, Master. I've learned my lesson, sir," Peter whimpers, keeping his glassy eyes trained at his feet._

_"You're disgusting, you understand me? You're a disgusting creature who doesn't deserve to be treated humanely. You deserve to be treated like the animal you are. You're a little fucking bitch and I don't know why we haven't killed you yet," the man sneers._

_Peter doesn't respond, keeping his head down and trying not to make a sound despite the lump in his throat and the burning in his lungs._

_"I'm leaving you here tonight. And tomorrow you try again. If you fail, punishment will be worse."_

_*_

_An eight-year-old boy having a panic attack in the corner of his cell. He messed up. He refused to kill that man like he was told to. He was barely even able to hit him. The man had just looked like a regular civilian and pleaded that he had kids to get home to. Peter choked and froze up. He panicked and he left. And now he'll be punished for failing his task._

_Master walks into the room, obviously angry. Peter keeps his eyes down, trying to stifle his sobs._

_"What the hell was that?! What the hell! That man is still alive! I gave you one fucking thing to do and you failed!" Master screams._

_Peter flinches and curls up tighter against his corner of the wall. "I'm sorry, Master."_

_"You don't get to fucking speak to me! You don't get to do that!" He shouts before his voice drops again. "You're going to be punished for this, pet. Come."_

_The child flinches hard and moves to stand._

_"No! Hands and knees. You don't deserve to walk!" Master instructs, walking over and attaching the leash to Peter's permanent collar._

_Peter crawls alongside Master back to the room where the man waits in a chair. He's still crying from when Peter left him there._

_"Sit and stay. Right there," Master instructs and Peter does as told._

_Master pulls a gun out of his waistband, putting Peter's leash in the child's mouth to hold. Master walks over to the man and before Peter can stop him, shoots the man in the head._

_"Now, as punishment, we'll be returning to the torture chamber. 50 whips, 15 rounds on the electrocution table, and 3 rounds of water. Let's go."_

_And as much as Peter wants to cry and beg to go back to his cell and never leave again. He doesn't have a choice but to crawl after Master towards the torture chamber._

_*_

Sam doesn't know what he's supposed to do. Peter's curled up in the far corner of the cell, shaking from head to toe, eyes glazed over and somewhere far away.

"Tony! Are you busy?" Sam asks through the intercoms, too scared to even touch the teenager.

"What's going on?" Tony replies.

"Spidey... he, uh, he just panicked and I don't know what to do. If we're not too busy, you should come and get him out of here so I can sweep the rest of the floors," Sam says, worried and confused. He has no clue why Peter freaked out as he did.

"I'm on my way. We finished with the upper floors and Clint's helping the main fight. Make sure Peter doesn't accidentally hurt himself," Tony replies, the sound of repulsors filling the air.

Tony arrives within seconds, letting the helmet disappear into the suit, face crestfallen.

Sam heads down the hall to finish sweeping the rooms for information, leaving Tony alone with Peter.

"Pete? Kiddie? Are you okay? Can I touch you?" Tony says, keeping his voice even and gentle. He lets the suit leave his body and stand guard at the door.

Peter doesn't respond, no reaction to the billionaire's voice at all.

"Peter? Petey, it's Tony. Mister Stark. Kid?" Tony tries again, carefully kneeling down beside the shaking teenager.

Still nothing, so Tony reaches out a hand and very gently lays it on Peter's shoulder. The kid flinches so hard he hits his head on the wall, big glazed over eyes darting around the room unseeing.

Tony draws his hand back, confused about what he's supposed to do.

"Peter? Pete, kiddie, c'mon. Come back to me. You're with the Avengers on a mission. You're with me. Right here, right now. Come back to me," Tony begs, hands hovering over Peter's shoulders.

It's a few more moments of silence before Peter suddenly breaks out of his trance, immediately falling into painful sobs.

"Can I touch you, Peter?" Tony asks again, wishing he didn't have to ask before hugging his kid.

Peter nods quickly, collapsing into Tony's awaiting arms like his life depends on it. He curls his gloved hands into Tony's shirt, pushing his face into the fabric as he cries.

"Wanna go home. Please. Take me home," Peter pleads into Tony's shoulder.

"Okay, kid. I'll take you home."

*

Peter's absolutely silent on the ride home, though he manages to stop crying which counts for something.

As soon as they made it back to the car, Peter changed into his hoodie and jeans from earlier and curled up in his seat, leaning his head against the window.

Tony tried to engage conversation, but Peter only answered in nods or head shakes. He was still shaken up after being back there. He just wants to hug May and sleep in his bed.

Tony walks him up to the apartment door, keeping a firm hand on his back. He knocks, which Peter's grateful for because he doesn't have his key on him.

May opens and she immediately understands what's going on.

Peter's face is streaked with tears and puffy around his bloodshot eyes. He refuses to meet May's eyes, hands trembling at his sides. May pulls him into a tight hug, leading him towards the couch whilst beckoning Tony to follow.

"What happened?" May asks.

"We were... I took him on a mission. A Spider-Man and the Avengers type thing. I thought it would be good for him. It wasn't going to be dangerous or anything and he was just going to be looking for any information not fighting anyways... But, uh, I guess he saw something? I don't know, May," Tony explains, feeling guilt weigh heavily on top of his chest.

May sighs, sitting on the couch and letting Peter curl up in her arms, probably not even listening to the conversation.

"Was it... Was it H-Y-D-R-A?" May says. She knows Peter's not stupid, he knows how to spell, but if he's not listening, he won't put it together. Saying the name might send him back into the flashbacks and panic from earlier.

"How'd you know?" Tony asks, following May's lead to not say the name.

"Bad memories for the kid," May explains, running her fingers through Peter's hair to hopefully put him to sleep so she can talk to Tony.

"Why? What happened?" Tony sits on the chair opposite the couch, hating how small Peter looks curled up in his aunt's arms.

May doesn't respond for a long while, both of them waiting patiently for Peter to slowly fall asleep. May knows he'll be up again soon from nightmares, but it's better a few bad hours of sleep than none at all.

Once she's sure Peter's fallen asleep, she starts to speak.

"Peter's parents had a rivalry with Hydra. When they died in that plane crash, Hydra saw it as an opportunity. We were on our way to pick him up, Ben and I were, but by the time we got there, he was already gone. Hydra took him. We didn't get him back until he was eight, almost nine. He was with them for five years. They took his childhood away from him. He was wrecked. It took us months just to convince him he was allowed to look us in the eyes... He was just a mess. It took us a long time until he even started getting better and that included daily therapy sessions and a lot of patience. He was so small, Tony. He was skinny and so pale and so timid," May explains, voice wobbling with her overwhelming emotions. She sniffles, hoping not to wake the kid.

May takes a deep breath before continuing, "He's still got the scars to show for it. That's where he got the spider powers. That's where everything started. They hurt him really badly. And I think what hurt the worst is that nobody else cared. We filed missing person reports to every police station in the state, we put up flyers, we asked everyone we could, but nobody cared. The police looked for him for maybe two weeks before giving up. There was one amber alert put out. Not even a false alarm of a sighting. Nobody tried to find him. He was just gone.

"He still gets nightmares," May continues. "He still gets nightmares sometimes and small things still freak him out and there have been more times than I can count where I've had to pick Peter up from school because something reminded him of his time in that prison. I can't believe he just went in there like it was fine. I can't... I still can't believe the shit he's been through."

Tony sniffs and tries to offer a reassuring smile, but it's more of a grimace. "That's... I had no idea, May. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. He doesn't like to bring it up. He'd prefer to just forget about it. Not even Ned knows about it which says something. He just... some days are better than others. He just takes it as it comes. He shouldn't have forced himself to go through with the mission," May replies, gazing fondly down at her sleeping child.

"Did the people ever get caught for what happened? How'd you get him back?" Tony questions.

May huffs out a sigh, looking back up at Tony tiredly.

"One day, he was just there. On our doorstep." May visibly winces at the memory. "He was in all the chains and it was so sickening to see, but... He was there and he was alive. Hurt, but alive."

"Chains?" Tony questions. He shouldn't be surprised, but even in Afganistan, there weren't many chains at all.

"Handcuffs and ankle cuffs and a big thick one around his waist with chains hanging from every side. And then he... he had that godawful collar," May chokes on her words, trying in vain not cry. "He didn't want us to take it off. He wanted to keep it because he didn't think he deserved to be looked at as anything more than an animal."

Tony swears his heart stops at those words, eyes matching the glassy state of May's. "Fuck... That's just..."

"Awful? Yeah, I know. And no. The people were never caught from my knowledge, but they never came back either so I guess that's a win. If you do go looking for them... Just be careful that none of them ever get free. If they go looking for revenge, they'll know right where to go."

"I will. I'll make sure it's taken care of."

*

"You're sure Tony is okay with me going?" Bucky asks for the thousandth time as he adjusts his prosthetic arm in front of the bathroom mirror.

Steve smiles, planting a kiss on Bucky's cheek. "He asked for you specifically. It's going to be fine, I swear. Plus, you deserve to finally meet Peter. He's such a good kid. You'll love him."

Bucky pouts, running a hand through his hair. "What if Tony's still angry?"

"Tony was always more angry at me than at you and we've made up, so it's only fair that you make up too. It's going to be fine, babe."

When they walk into the tower, Tony's waiting in the dining room, tablet projections open on the table. He looks exhausted as though he hasn't slept since the mission last week. Tony shoots to his feet beckoning the couple into the kitchen as he shuts the holograms.

"Hey, thanks for coming," Tony greets. "Do you want anything to eat or drink? Peter's on his way here from school."

"We're good. Are you good? You look like you haven't slept," Steve points out, keeping a firm grip on Bucky's hand as they stop a foot away from Tony.

The billionaire rubs his eyes, breathing out a sigh. "Haven't. Not much at least. I found something out and I've been busy... I need some advice, actually. That's why I called you here."

"So this has nothing to do with, um, with Sokovia?" Bucky questions nervously.

The laugh that leaves Tony's throat is almost hysterical, rough around the edges. "No. Nothing to do with that. I thought we were past that? Doesn't matter. This about Hydra, if you don't mind me asking."

"About my time there?" Bucky asks, leaning forwards as his eyebrows crinkle. This isn't a normal question. Most people dance around those questions like he's made of glass.

Tony sighs heavily again, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I found out... I know he probably doesn't want me to tell you guys because he didn't even want me to know, but I need to know how to go about this the right way."

"Found what out? What's going on, Tony?" Bucky asks, biting his lip in concern. The last thing he wants is for somebody to have gone through something similar to what he had.

"It's about Peter. I don't want you to say anything to him about it, but he freaked on that mission and his aunt explained why... When he was little, he was kidnapped by Hydra. He was with them for five years. He... He was tortured in that place and- and he still freaks out about it, you know? And I don't want to accidentally hurt him more by mentioning something I'm not supposed to, but I don't want to coddle him or push him away because of that. I just want things to be normal despite everything. I don't know... I just- How did you do it?" Tony rambles.

"How'd we do what?" Steve asks gently. It's rare for anyone to see Tony this considerate towards anyone. He's normally very reserved when it comes to emotions, but here he is, outright asking for help with this.

"I don't know! How'd you deal? How'd you know what to do?"

"It was a lot of open communication for one thing. I needed to tell Steve when things weren't right or if it was a bad day or if I didn't want him to say certain things. It wasn't that hard for that last one because most of the time, the people weren't speaking English. Steve needed to understand that it wasn't going to be easy, but because I didn't remember a lot of it, it wasn't so hard to get better," Bucky explains.

"What do I do for Peter then? This is different," Tony says, hands twitching at his sides with a want to move.

"It is different, but the same things apply. Open communication and talk to Peter about it. He's not going to want to, but opening up about traumas is the best way to go about it. Ask him to tell you about what sort of triggers you should be avoiding. Let him know that you understand and that you're there if he needs anything," Steve says, patting Tony on the shoulder.

The elevator dings and Peter comes wandering into the dining room, smile dropping off his face when his eyes land on Bucky.

Before any of them can react or explain what's happening, Peter's falling to his knees in the doorway. His eyes are wide and glazed over, gaze darting between Bucky and Tony.

"Kid, this is Bucky. You met him-" Tony starts, trying to pretend that the teenager kneeling is normal.

"You're giving me back," Peter accuses quietly, tears spilling down his cheeks.

"I'm not- What?" Tony says, confusion crossing his futures. He takes a slow step forward, freezing when Peter flinches, gaze dropping to the floor in front of him.

"I'm sorry," Peter cries, tucking his chin against his chest. "I'm sorry. Please. You don't have to give me back. I'll be better. I'll be good. Please."

Everyone stands frozen across from the kid, unsure how to respond to Peter's begging.

"Peter-"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm sorry. Just,  _please_. I can't- I can't go back. Please," Peter sobs. Tony flinches hard at being called sir, heart jumping to his throat.

"Peter, you're not there. I'm not with Hydra. I swear. I'm not taking you back there," Bucky tries to explain, but the words fall short to the teenager's glazed over expression. He's not even in the conversation anymore.

Peter's fallen silent other than the hiccuped sobs that escape his chest every few moments, Tony can't move from his spot with wide eyes and trembling hands, Steve doesn't think he can help, and Bucky looks desperate to do something to pull Peter out of the flashback but has no idea what will help and what will hurt.

"I'll do anything. Please. Just don't... Not there. Please, sir," the kid pleads, shoulders starting to tremble as he pulls his body inward to protect himself from a non-existent threat.

"I'm not  _sir_ , Peter," Tony says. His voice is on the verge of tears, paralyzed from moving to try and comfort the kid. "It's Tony. Hell, I'd even take Mister Stark gladly over that."

"Please," Peter whimpers in return, "Please don't send me back there. Please. I can't do this again. I can't. I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough."

"Stop it, Peter. You're not going anywhere," Tony pleads, voice caught in his throat and escaping him strangled and scared.

But this wasn't the right thing to say. This made things worse. Because all Peter can hear through his pain and fear is a voice telling him to stop begging. All he hears is a threat behind demands. All he hears is someone telling him what to do. And he can't go against that.

So he drops to his hands and knees on the floor, head drooping between his elbows, face no longer visible to the men. Tony's heart is shattering at the submission his child shows and the tears that still wrack Peter's body. 

"Peter, buddy, please don't do this. I don't know how to help you... Fri, call May Parker. Force the call through if you have to. Get her on the line now," Tony says, unwilling to try anything more. He has no idea what words could worsen the flashbacks. He has no idea what triggers Peter has. He has no idea what to do, how to help.

Luckily, May picks up. "Tony? I'm at work right now. My boss already looks angry with me. Is this important?"

"It's Peter." Tony's voice sounds strangled and on the verge of tears from being on the brink of a panic attack. 

"What's going on?" May suddenly sounds totally immersed in the conversation. All background noises have ceased from the other side. "I'm taking an early break. What's going on?"

"I'm Steve. Steve Rogers. Bucky and I were invited to the tower because Tony wanted to know some things about Bucky's time with Hydra. Peter showed up for his lab night, but once he saw Bucky, he panicked and we don't know how to fix it," Steve explains, taking control of the situation. The two others are too panicked to speak calmly to May.

May sighs heavily. "I can't be there, so I'll try my best to walk you through what you need to do. I only have a few minutes until I have to get back to work through... As much as he may act like he'll hate it, and it'll suck to feel like you're hurting him, but Peter thrives on positive physical interaction. He's always been a hugger, you know? He'll probably freak out, but you just need to give him small, gentle touches to pull him out of it. Once he snaps out of it, he'll need lots of care, okay? A long nap."

"He's freaking out already, May!" Tony exclaims, vaguely gesturing towards the shaking boy in the doorway.

"I know, but you need to remind him of where he is, who he is, who you are and make sure he feels safe. No offence, but it might be best if Bucky were to leave and try again to meet him another time. Peter's been having a tough week because of the mission. The memories are fresh. You just... You need to be patient with him," May explains. She's obviously been through this enough to not be freaked out by the situation. Sympathetic and sad and tired, but not freaked out because when Peter first got back, it was constant nightmares and panic attacks and flashbacks. It was considered a normal day for May and Ben. 

"What if it doesn't work?" the billionaire asks, voice small as he stares at Peter who's still trapped in his own mind.

"It will. If it doesn't, call me back, but I've really gotta get back to work, Tony."

"Okay. Thank you for your help, Miss Parker. End call, Friday," Steve says, giving Tony a gentle push towards Peter. "We're going to go in case us being here will just make things work. You can do this. Just think of this as a panic attack. You've talked him down from plenty of those."

Bucky mumbles a quick apology and goodbye, and then the couple disappears down the hallway.

Tony stumbles anxiously towards the teenager, heart thumping erratically in his constricted lungs.

He drops to his knees in front of Peter, tears welling up when Peter flinches hard at the loud noise.

"Petey? It's Tony. I'm right here, okay? Mister Stark's right here. I've got you, okay? I'm right here. We're in Stark Towers together." Tony takes a deep breath, swallowing thickly around the lump in his throat. "You're Peter Parker. You're sixteen. You go to Midtown Tech. We have lab nights on Tuesday's and Friday's, and sometimes on Friday's, you stay the night because we work too late together. You're best friends is Ned Leeds, your guy in the chair. You're Spider-Man. You're a genius and one day I plan to hand SI over to you. You live with your Aunt May in Queens. You're the most selfless and kind person I know and even though you're still a kid, I look up to you in how wonderfully sweet and happy you are despite everything you've been through."

Peter doesn't respond, doesn't even lift his head from where it hangs, messy curls falling in front of his eyes.

Tony, despite the aching pain in his chest and the tremble to his hands, reaches out. He very gently lays a hand on Peter's shoulder.

The teenager flinches hard, head twisting away from Tony but not moving away from the touch, soft whimpers slipping from his mouth.

"Peter? You're safe. You're right here with me. With Tony. With Mister Stark. You're okay. You're safe, you hear me? You're okay. You got out. You're safe now," Tony chokes out quietly. 

Peter lets out another whine, muscles tight beneath Tony's touch. And the words he sobs sends daggers into Tony's already shattered heart.

" _Please, Master. I'll do anything. I'll do anything, please just don't hurt me again_ ," Peter whimpers, shaking his head again and trying to fight himself to stay in place. 

And even though Tony feels like he's making things worse, he reaches out and carefully starts carding his fingers through Peter's curls. 

The kid's body somehow tenses up more underneath his touch, but he's gone still, head tilting into the touch as though his body knows it's good and that he likes it, but his mind still tells him that it's not okay.

"I'm right here, kid. I'm right here. It's just me. Just Tony Stark. You're Peter Parker. Sixteen years old. You're Spider-Man, Queens's Hero. You live with Aunt May and stay with me two nights a week. You're at Stark Towers. You're safe. You're here with me. You're never going back there. Ever again. I swear. You're safe and I'm not going to let anything happen to you again," Tony repeats, never stopping his motions through Peter's sweaty curls. 

"Safe?" Peter echoes. His voice is wavering, but there's an undeniable hint of hope to his voice.

"Yeah, buddy. You're safe with me, okay? You're safe," Tony replies gently. He keeps repeating the last two words, whispering them to the kid like it's a big secret. "You're safe. You're safe. You're safe."

"Safe," Peter repeats more certainly this time. He finally looks up, doe eyes glassy and bloodshot but filled with hopeful innocence, no longer as glazed over with memories.

"Yeah, kiddie. You're safe. Can I hug you?" Tony asks, moving the hand that was on the kid's arm to loop around his shoulders, but not moving any closer just in case.

Peter looks wary for a few moments, but his obvious exhaustion wins and he falls againt Tony's chest. 

"Are you with me?" Tony asks, rubbing the kid's back in soothing circles and never ceasing the gentle brushing off his curls.

There's a few seconds of tense silence before Peter says, "Yeah... Yeah, I'm with you. I'm back. I'm safe."

Tony doesn't reply, simply pulling the kid tighter against his chest.

  
*

When Peter wakes up, the first thing he's aware enough to comprehend, is the steady heartbeat against his ear.

He's practically lying on top of Tony, curled up against the billionaire's chest, still wearing his school clothing even though it must be some time after midnight.

"Fri?" Peter murmurs, not wanting to wake the softly snoring man beside him.

"Yes, Peter?" the woman responds, matching his volume.

"Are Steve and Bucky still here?" Peter can't help the guilt that's welling in his chest. He can't believe he broke down as much as he did in front of all of them. He can't remember a lot, but he knows it wasn't good. 

"Mister Rogers and Mister Barnes are on the 86th floor, currently watching a movie. Would you like me to contact them?"

"Could you just tell them that I want to meet them for real? If they're not tired, we could have hot chocolate. I don't really want to go back to sleep." He hadn't had any nightmares really, but the fear is still running his blood cold and turning his stomach uneasily. 

"Mister Rogers wants to make sure you're sure. He says he's not sure if it's good for your health."

"Tell them I'm fine now. I'll explain when they get up here. It's okay now," Peter replies confidently. It's the truth. It had been a rough day in a bad week so he was already spiralling when he showed up. Bucky had just sent him over the edge. 

"They're on their way up."

Peter nods, carefully extracting himself from Tony's tight grip, and heads to his bedroom. He's pretty sure he looks like shit after all the crying, but he couldn't really care less. The jeans are just a little uncomfortable. 

He changes into a pair of Iron Man pyjama pants with one of Tony's MIT Alumni sweatshirts before heading to the kitchen to start the kettle for hot chocolate. 

A moment later, the elevator doors open down the hall.

"Hey, Peter," Steve says, voice unable to hide the caution to it. He's wearing a pair of grey sweats with a black t-shirt, short blond hair ruffled and messy from a sleepless night.

Bucky's walking slightly behind Steve, obviously nervous. He's in a pair of black sweats with a grey tank top, without his prosthetic arm, hair tied up in a bun.

They're hands are linked between them, Bucky's knuckles going white from how tight he holds the superhero's hand.

"Hi," Peter murmurs, smiling at the two of them to show that he's alright. The two of them walk into the kitchen a little less nervous at how well he's doing so far.

"I'm so sorry for scaring you like that, Peter. I didn't mean to. If I had known-"

"It's not your fault," the teenager says, cutting Bucky off. "I've just been a little on edge lately since the mission. Old wounds reopened sorta thing. It wasn't a good day at school, so I was already really anxious. I should've just gone home becuase something would've set me off. It's really not your fault, so don't feel guilty."

The kettle pops behind them, signaling the water had boiled, and Steve moves first to grab the mugs, telling them that he'll get them done.

"What happened at school?" Bucky asks, frowning at the kid.

"I get bullied," Peter admits, not feeling too bad about saying it. He's heard stories about how badly Steve was bullied when he was younger and Bucky was like his protector. "Just some stupid kid, but he locked me in my locker and I had a panic attack. I was only in there for less than a minute thanks to my best friends, but it was enough to scare me pretty bad."

"That's- That's awful, kid. I'm sorry," the ex-assassin replies, eyes sad as he leans back against the counter.

"It's whatever," Peter shrugs. "He's just a stupid kid who thinks it makes him a better person to pick on someone. Plus, jokes on him, I'm Spider-Man so I could kill him with one hit. He has this weird crush on Spider-Man too so I made a social media just to block him when he inevitably sent me thirsty tweets. He was so angry!"

Bucky can't help the laughter that blurts from his lungs at that. 

"That's amazing, kid! If only we had the internet back when we were in school, huh Steve?" Bucky exclaims. "We could've blocked all those kids that used to pick on you once you were Captain America."

Steve lets out a short laugh, dolling out the hot chocolate to everyone. 

Peter hops up on the counter to sit down as Steve leans against the counter beside Bucky. The latter kisses the blond quickly before turning back to Peter.

"If you don't mind me asking, have you been doing better?" Bucky asks quietly.

"Yeah. Just the mission... I shouldn't have gone. I ended up seeing a cell that was practically identical to the one I had and it sent me spiralling. May's thinking about sending me back to therapy, but we barely have the money for my appetite let alone therapy. I was thinking about asking Tony about it since he found out after the mission, but I haven't gotten around to it yet," Peter explains.

"Ask me what?" Tony asks, walking into the kitchen as he yawns, stretching his arms above his head. "You making hot chocolate without me?"

"There's always more to go around," Steve replies, gesturing to the counter.

"Um, I was thinking about asking you if you could pay for therapy for me. May was suggesting it yesterday because my nightmares and panic attacks are getting bad again. I think it'll blow over, but May still thinks it would be a good idea if I didn't bottle this sort of thing up. She looked into it, but it's crazy expensive in Queens and she doesn't really have the time to drive me and there's no buses that go out those directions and we don't have the kind of money we can throw around like that-" Peter rambles anxiously.

"Course I'll pay, kid. You can even see my therapist if you want. She's really trustworthy so you could tell her about the whole Spider-Man thing if you want. She'd be happy to help you because I don't go as often anymore," Tony says, finishing making his cup of hot chocolate and leaning again the counter beside Peter's legs.

"Thanks, Mister Stark!" the kid chirps happily, swinging his legs like a kid. 

"No worries, kiddo. Anything to make you happy."


End file.
